Brand new 3rd Court Justice Scott Field is not wasting any time. Normally, it takes weeks and sometimes months before a brand new Texas appellate justice puts his or her name on a signed opinion. After all, there are many things a new justice has to do before getting around to writing opinions including: hiring a staff; attending oral arguments; going to conferences and finding out exactly where the bathroom is at the court. So it was a surprise to see Scott K. Field’s name on James Seth Hicks v. IndyMac Mortgage Services, an opinion released today by Austin’s 3rd Court of Appeals. That brief opinion dismissing an appeal was released a mere eight days after Field was sworn in as a 3rd Court justice by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel, a former chief justice of that court. “We really tried to hit the ground running,” says Field, who replaced former justice Diane Henson on the court. “One thing that helped is I decided to keep Judge Henson’s staff attorneys. They know what they’re doing and have really helped my transition.”
So far, Field says he’s happy with his new gig and enjoys the research aspect of the job, something he did plenty of in his previous life as an appellate attorney and former Texas Supreme Court briefing attorney. “I feel like it’s been a smooth adjustment,” he says. Next up for Field is getting his picture and biography posted on the 3rd Court’s website. “I have not had my judge picture taken yet. I had a clerk come by last week and say ‘Hey, we need a photo and a bio.’’’
--- John Council
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